Divided Loyalties

by Heather Atkinson

  CHAPTER 9

  Danny waited in the back of the Mercedes, excited about having Rachel back. Bruiser sat in the driving seat.

  The moment Rachel emerged from the prison gates Danny leapt out of the car and raced towards her.

  “Hi Babe,” he grinned, scooping her up and kissing her hard.

  She wrapped her arms around her husband and sank into his kiss.

  “It’s good to have you back,” he breathed.

  Even Bruiser had a smile on his face. Danny took her hand and led her to the car quickly, afraid something would happen to put her back in that place. He wanted to get her away as quickly as possible.

  “Oy, Maguire,” roared Benton.

  He stormed up to them, face red with anger. Hastily, Bruiser put himself between him and Danny and Rachel.

  “It’s okay Bruiser,” said Danny genially and he reluctantly sidestepped. “Superintendent Benton, have you come to share in our good news?”

  “Where is it Danny?”

  “Where’s what?”

  “The evidence against that bitch,” he snarled, pointing at Rachel.

  “I seriously recommend you watch your mouth.”

  “I know you were behind that fire.”

  “Prove it.”

  “I fucking will.” He turned his glare on Rachel. “You can’t get away with it forever Rachel. One day you will have to pay the piper.”

  Rachel appeared unimpressed. “Let’s go home Danny. There’s a bad smell around here.”

  “Too right. Goodbye Superintendent,” he said politely.

  Benton watched them go, chest heaving with rage.

  Rachel and Danny forgot all about Benton as they locked in a passionate embrace in the back of the car. When Danny’s hand slid up her skirt Bruiser put up the privacy glass. The moment he did Rachel straddled Danny and unfastened his trousers.

  “You want to do this now?” he grinned.

  “Yes, I’ve been inside surrounded by women. The car’s got tinted glass, no one can see in.”

  She groaned quietly as she sank onto him, conscious of Bruiser up front.

  “Everyone’s….waiting at….at the….shit where are they waiting?” murmured Danny as she started to move harder and faster. “The pub,” he groaned into her neck, “to welcome you home. Oh fucking hell Rach.”

  He pulled open her blouse and smiled. “Hello girls, I missed you.”

  “Oh God Danny,” she breathed as he pushed up into her.

  They both came quickly and after adjusting their clothing she rested in his lap, her head on his chest, enjoying listening to his heartbeat and being back with him.

  “Do you think Benton will try to set me up again?” she said quietly.

  “I don’t think so. He was lucky to get away with it once, he won’t dare do it again.”

  “I hope not,” she said, nestling into him closer.

  As the car pulled up outside the pub Rachel drew her compact out of her handbag and hastily checked her hair and make-up. Then she stepped out of the car, eager to be reunited with her family and friends.

  Ryan breathed a sigh of relief when Rachel walked through the door. He’d had the terrible feeling something would go wrong at the last minute to keep her inside. She looked great as usual, clearly prison hadn’t had a negative effect on her. He hung back as she was swamped by friends and relatives hugging her and telling her how glad they were that she was out. He smiled, she looked so happy.

  When she held her daughter in her arms her eyes filled with tears but being Rachel she blinked them away determinedly and kissed her child. Eventually she made her way round the room to him.

  “Hello Ryan.”

  “Hello Rachel. It’s good to have you back.”

  “I believe I’ve you to thank for helping get me out of there.”

  She leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. His heart pounded at the physical contact and he had to fight the urge to grab her and kiss her right back.

  “Thank you Ryan. You can’t know how much I mean that.”

  “Anytime. I’d do anything for you Rachel.”

  Her pitch black eyes locked with his. “I appreciate that,” she said softly before moving on to finally hold her new baby nephew.

  Danny watched them from across the room. On the surface it had seemed innocent enough but he saw how Ryan looked at his wife, his eyes still on her as she talked with Beth and Martina. He was satisfied when Rachel didn’t look back at him.

  “How could you let this happen?” bellowed Richard. “You said it was all sewn up and today she walked out of prison a free woman. What the f…”

  “Richard please calm down,” said May reasonably.

  “Calm down? You promised me justice and once again the Maguires are out there no doubt celebrating that bitch’s return.”

  “It wasn’t my fault,” interjected Benton equally angrily. “These people are criminals and will stoop to any level to dig themselves out of the shit.”

  “How the hell did they set a fire in your evidence room? They must have someone on the inside.”

  “Of course they do, several of them, but I’ve no proof.”

  “Useless,” snarled Richard, causing Benton to glare at him.

  “Gentlemen, please,” said May sternly. “Turning on each other will get us nowhere. It didn’t work, now we must think of something else.”

  “I’ve had enough,” spat Richard. “You lot can sit here plotting in the dark. I’m going to sort this out once and for all.”

  With that he turned on his heel and stalked out.

  “Richard,” called Benton.

  “Let him go Superintendent,” said May. “He needs time to calm down.”

  “Do we still have the witness?” said Jeremy.

  “Yes, for all the good it does us. It’s just his word against Rachel’s and twenty women off the Montford.”

  “Can’t we utilise him some other way?”

  “How?”

  “He knows Rachel intimately, he has inside knowledge. Perhaps we could use that knowledge to our advantage?”

  “He’s been out of her life for too long, he doesn’t know her anymore.”

  May chewed her lip thoughtfully. “How is the investigation into the fire coming along?”

  “It was arson no doubt but there’s no evidence pointing to the culprit.”

  “Can one of those women who were willing to give her an alibi be made to tell the truth?”

  “Doubtful. Give the Maguires and Laws their due, they have brought order back to the estate. No one will say a word against them and to be honest, it’s taken some pressure off my officers.”

  “We don’t want to hear about their good deeds,” said May incredulously. “We want them off the streets for good.”

  “Richard has contacts. Perhaps we should wait and see what he comes up with?” suggested Benton, not knowing what else to say.

  “Mum’s taking Leah out today,” said Danny, kissing Rachel’s neck while she sat before her dressing table, putting on her make-up in the mirror. “Why don’t we go out for lunch?”

  “Okay. Giorgio’s?”

  “If you like.”

  A week had passed since she was released from prison and they’d hardly spent a moment apart. She turned to face him and he knelt before her and took her face in his hands to kiss her.

  “You’re really spoiling me,” she smiled.

  “You deserve it and there’s something I want to run past you first.”

  “What?”

  “Not now, at lunch.”

  After dropping Leah off at her grandmother’s they headed to the restaurant.

  “So, what did you want to discuss?” she said, tucking into a steaming plate of pasta.

  “I know how you’ve been wanting to take a step back from the business now we’ve got Leah,” he said, careful to euphemise in case of prying ears, “especially after recent events, so I’ve had an idea.”

  “What?”

  “I‘ve hea
rd a whisper that the Harmony Hydro is coming up for sale in the next few months. I want to buy it for you.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You mean that massive complex on the edge of the city that has a gym and a pool?”

  “Yes,” he grinned. “So what do you think?”

  “I think it’s great.”

  “So you’d like it?”

  “Yes but do you think I’m up to running something on that scale?”

  “Course I do. You’re a hell of a businesswoman Rach, it’ll be no problem for you.”

  “But I don’t know anything about running a spa.”

  “You don’t have to, you get in people who do to help.”

  “What about the clubs?”

  “They practically run themselves. Get someone to oversee them. Dolores would be a good choice.”

  “Wow Danny, I wasn’t expecting this.”

  “Well, what do you say?”

  “I say yes,” she beamed.

  He kissed her hard. “You’ll make a success of it, I know you will.”

  “Thank you Danny. This means a lot.”

  “I have to admit, I have a bit of an ulterior motive.”

  “Oh yes?”

  They leaned towards one another to talk, their lips just inches from each other. They were so wrapped up in one other that they failed to notice the waiter hovering by their table, trying to ask if everything was okay with their meals. Not wanting to lose his tip he decided to retreat and leave them to it.

  “I want you to stick to the legitimate businesses from now on. I couldn’t stand it if you got nicked again. I want to protect you from all that.”

  “I appreciate that Babe,” she said, touching his face. “But what about you? The same could easily happen to you.”

  “I want to get out too, eventually. Alex is the right one to take over but he lacks the confidence yet. He still blames himself for not seeing what Terry was.”

  Rachel nodded. She thought it such a shame that Alex doubted his own abilities, which in her opinion were considerable. He treated her as Danny’s second rather than taking on the role himself.

  “You’d better get on with encouraging him then, so we can be totally legitimate.”

  “It would be a weight off, not having to worry about getting nicked all the time. I don’t know how Dad put up with it for so long.”

  Rachel knew. It was because Danny wasn’t like his dad, he was more like his mum. Alex was Frank’s true heir, he didn’t feel things like Danny did. Rachel swallowed down the lump in her throat, she still missed her father-in-law badly.

  “I’ll take a step back from it all,” he continued, “and we’ll build our own empire together, one that’s completely legal.”

  “I like the sound of that,” she replied, relieved that he was talking this way. The thought of them being separated again by prison terrified her.

  He leaned even closer, his lips brushing hers. “We’ve still got some time before Mum brings Leah home. Why don’t we go to bed?”

  “Yes please,” she purred.

  He kissed her, his hands playing through her hair, neither of them caring that they were in a restaurant full of diners.

  “Can we have the bill please? Quickly,” added Danny when Rachel ran her hand over his crotch, the gesture hidden by the tablecloth.

  They exited the restaurant happily, Danny’s arm slung around her shoulders. Battler waited for them by the car. Danny had asked him to drive them because they both wanted a drink. Just before they climbed into the Mercedes, Danny pulled her to him.

  “There’s one other thing I wanted to discuss. How do you feel about trying for another baby, once the spa is up and running of course?”

  Rachel gazed up at him adoringly. She didn’t think she could feel any happier but she could. “I’ve been thinking the same thing myself.”

  He beamed and pulled her to him for a kiss. As their lips touched there was a loud bang and Rachel’s body jumped as she experienced a sharp pain in her left shoulder.

  Attempting to process what had happened she looked up at Danny, who’d gone ghostly pale, eyes wide with surprise. It was then she spotted the pristine white of his shirt front rapidly staining red. Time seemed to stand still as he slumped to the pavement and she desperately tried to catch him and simultaneously cling onto consciousness in order to help her husband.

  Battler raced up to them, horror written all over his normally impassive face and she could hear people screaming. It was then she realised what had happened. They’d been shot.

  Battler shoved them both behind the car just as another shot hit the pavement to their left, shielding Rachel with his big body as he frantically talked into his mobile phone. Ignoring the fire consuming her left side, Rachel focused on Danny, who was shaking violently, eyes rolling back in his head as he went into shock.

  “Please Baby, hold on,” she begged. “The ambulance will be here soon.”

  The bullet had hit him squarely in the chest and blood foamed in his mouth as it filled his lungs. She pressed a hand to the wound in an attempt to staunch the flow but it seeped through her fingers.

  “Please Danny,” she sobbed.

  Her hopes soared when his eyes snapped open and focused on her. Raising a shaky, bloodied hand he touched her face. Then his eyes closed and his hand dropped to his side.

  “Danny,” she cried.

  Wiping the blood from his lips she began blowing air into his lungs but she was bleeding herself and everything went hazy. The pain in her shoulder intensified as Battler’s massive hand clamped down on the wound to stem the blood loss but she fought against oblivion as she desperately tried to revive her husband. The wail of sirens approaching filled the air then suddenly they were surrounded by armed police.

  “Help him please,” she yelled at the paramedics racing towards them.

  Battler clutched her to him as they lay Danny out flat and attempted to resuscitate him. Rachel sobbed her heart out when he failed to respond to all their efforts. Eventually the paramedics looked at each other and shook their heads.

  “No,” she screamed. “You have to keep trying.”

  “Rachel…,” said Battler softly.

  “Keep trying. He’s not dead.”

  Battler turned her face to look into his serious blue eyes. “Rach, he’s gone.”

  She sank into his arms, weeping and screaming, Battler’s face threatening to crack.

  The paramedics turned their attention to the ragged hole in her shoulder and she sat quietly, little sobs and gasps escaping her lips, her eyes never leaving Danny’s body. Her sobs intensified when he was covered with a sheet.

  “He won’t be able to breathe,” she murmured, knowing it was irrational.

  Now the police had given the all-clear quite a crowd had gathered and Battler pulled her closer to shield her from their prying eyes, rage filling him when he saw people holding up mobile phones to film the scene, pointing at the blood stained sheet covering Danny’s body.

  When the paramedics attempted to get Rachel into the ambulance she protested vigorously.

  “No, I want to stay with him.”

  “Rachel, you need to go to hospital,” said Battler firmly.

  “I’m not leaving him.”

  Suddenly Benton was kneeling before her, his expression gentle and the contrast was such that she went silent.

  “Rachel, we can’t move him until forensics are finished and they need to do their job if we’re going to catch who did this. I promise you can see him later.”

  She nodded dumbly and allowed the paramedics to lead her to the ambulance.

  “Battler?” she called helplessly.

  “I’m here Sweetheart,” he said, climbing in beside her.

  She strained to see the shape beneath the sheet just one last time until the doors slammed shut, blocking it out.

  CHAPTER 10

  Mikey hung up the phone after his conversation with Battler feeling dazed and sick. Why couldn’t he have given this task
to someone else?

  “What’s up Mikey?” frowned Dolores. “You look terrible.”

  “Tell the staff to go home. We’re not opening tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  “Danny’s dead.”

  Dolores dropped the glass she was polishing and stared at him in astonishment.

  “How?”

  “He was shot,” he croaked.

  “Rachel?”

  “She was shot too but she’s okay.”

  Before leaving the club he made a few calls and arranged for Alex, Beth, Jez, Ryan and Bruiser to meet up at Martina’s house. He parked at the end of the street where he could see the house and waited until everyone had arrived before going in himself. This wasn’t news he wanted to break more than once.

  He entered to find them all waiting curiously but they weren’t unduly worried, not after all the impromptu family meetings they’d had over the years. He looked at Leah fast asleep in the cot in the corner and swallowed down the lump in his throat.

  Martina’s stomach lurched when she saw Mikey’s expression. “What’s happened? Why aren’t Danny and Rachel here?”

  He searched for words of sensitivity and tact but when they didn’t come he decided to come right out with it.

  “Battler phoned me from St Mary’s. Rachel and Danny have been shot.”

  The six faces looking at him turned bloodless.

  “Are they alright?” said Alex.

  “Rachel was hit in the shoulder. She lost some blood but she’ll be okay. But Danny…Christ I’m sorry. He’s dead.”

  There was a moment of deathly silence as they all attempted to process this information before Martina’s scream split the air. Alex attempted to comfort her but he was too overwhelmed with his own grief. Little Leah started to cry, scared by the high emotion around her and Beth picked her up and cuddled her, which soothed her.

  “That can’t be right,” Alex croaked. “They only went out for lunch.”

  “Battler was there, he saw it all. It was quick,” he ended, voice cracking.

  “Have they got who did it?” said Bruiser, startling them all.

  “No. The police closed off the street. It seems they’re doing a thorough job trying to find the bastard.”